Recently I’ve been struck by the words, “He became.” God became!
It is truly amazing that the High King of Heaven chose to put on a suit of skin and subject Himself to the humiliation of all things human: potty-training, puberty, and pain – and not just pain but the most physical, emotional, and spiritual pain imaginable.
The Lord God Almighty who spoke the world into existence chose to enter the very world He created as a newborn baby who would need to learn to walk, talk, and work by the sweat of his brow. However, what is far more amazing is what else he became: sin. Your sin, my sin, the sin of all mankind from Adam and Eve to Hitler, since the time of the fall of man to the very last gasp of humanity Jesus became our collective sin.
The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Imagine for a moment all the guilt you have ever felt in your lifetime pouring down on you at this very moment – that would personally devastating. Now imagine that guilt multiplied by 7,800,000,000 (earth’s current population), then factor in the guilt of all who lived before all those who will come after. THIS is what Jesus became for us!
However, the most important part of what God has done and is still doing for us is found at the end of the sentence following the “…so that.” So that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
He became our sin, so that we could become His righteousness. Wow!
This takes all the pressure of performance off the table allowing us to shift our focus from a set of rules to being in relationship, from fear to freedom, from doing to being. Simply put accepting the gift of His becoming our sin allows us to wrap ourselves in His gift of righteousness. THE GIFT which allows us to abide in Him (John 15).
Abiding allows God’s love to flow through us. A love that fuels purpose, brings healing, and creates unity. Purpose, healing, unity, all natural bi-products of the righteousness of God.